Naruto: Konoha Spring of the Uchiha Prodigies

In the name of the Hokage, in the name of Konoha—

Let our roars echo through the heavens! Let our will shake the earth!

For survival, for dignity, for the inextinguishable will of fire, advance! Fight! Konoha—victory is assured!

"Victory is certain!" Exhilarating shouts rose from every corner of Konoha. At this moment, every villager in Konoha, whether a ninja or not, shared the same belief: they would surely win this war!

Uchiha Touko listened to the cheers that pierced through several walls, nodded slightly, sheathed his sword, and looked at Minamoto no Miyaku with an encouraging gaze.

Genjiro nodded to Uchiha Touko, straightened his magnificent robes that represented his daimyo status, and then approached the camera and microphone.

After the shouts outside subsided a little, Yuan Yuxie slowly spoke.

"I am the daimyo of the Land of Fire, Minamoto no Mikihisa."

Gen Yuxie's slightly immature voice was broadcast throughout the Land of Fire via television and radio. Those who heard the voice were initially taken aback, as this was the first time most people in the Land of Fire had ever heard the voice of their lord.

"My teacher has already said what needs to be said, so I will not repeat myself. I firmly believe that our Fire Kingdom will be the final victor in this war. There may be sacrifices in this war, but please believe that I will always be with you! I look forward to the day when you return in triumph, and at that time, I will personally award medals to the returning soldiers!"

After Genji finished speaking, deafening cheers rang out again in Konoha. The daimyo personally giving a pre-battle pep talk was something that had never happened before in the entire ninja world.

After the cheers subsided, Minamoto no Miyakuya continued, "Today, I, Minamoto no Miyakuya, the 13th Daimyo of the Land of Fire, stake my Land of Fire on its very existence!"

Yuan Yuxie paused briefly, then said, word by word with unwavering determination:

"To the Land of Earth! War!"

"Declare war on the Land of Thunder!"

"Attack the rebels of the Water Kingdom! War!"

Meanwhile, envoys from the Land of Fire, carrying declarations of war and protected by ninjas, set off for other countries. Each envoy wore an expression of resignation, for the ninja world had no rule against killing envoys during wartime. These civil officials knew they might not return, but their steps remained resolute.

Before they set off, Uchiha Tokō, in his capacity as Grand Minister of State, made a promise that regardless of whether they returned or not, as long as they did not tarnish the reputation of the Land of Fire, their names would be recorded in the annals of the Land of Fire. For a civil official, this was the greatest honor in the world!

After finishing his speech, Uchiha Touko returned to the command center of the Hokage Building. All the high-ranking officials of Konoha, except for the garrison commander stationed outside and Shisui who led the vanguard to support Fugaku, were present. Among them, Hyuga Neji and Uchiha Sasuke, the two outstanding young talents, stood at the very front of the group.

"Shikaku, send a letter to the Fifth Kazekage of Sunagakure, instructing them to transfer their troops to the northwestern border to join us in a pincer movement against Iwagakure," Uchiha Touko instructed, staring at the map.

"Yes!" Nara Shikaku nodded.

"Kakashi, you will lead Konoha's First Army to land in the southern part of the Land of Water to support the vanguard that Shisui brought earlier. You must stop the allied forces of Kumogakure and Northern Pseudo-Kirigakure outside the Land of Water."

"Yes!" Kakashi nodded in acceptance.

"Cho-za, you, Ino-Shika-Cho, will lead the Second Legion to rendezvous with Commander Shii and Commander Jaw, and then head directly towards the border of the Land of Lightning, pushing the battlefield beyond the country's borders!"

"Yes!" Akimichi Choza, Yamanaka Inoichi, and Nara Shikaku, who rushed back to the General Staff after issuing the notice, all nodded in unison.

"Asuma, take the Third Legion and meet up with Commander Hiashi, who arrived at the border some time ago. Then, cross the border directly and attack from the direction of the Land of Grass. The troops from the Land of Rain and the Land of Wind will come to your aid."

"Yes!" Asma nodded in acceptance.

"Sasuke, Neji." Uchiha Touko turned to his two disciples. "Each of you will lead an elite force to infiltrate the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning, destroy their fortifications, and inflict as much damage as possible on their supply lines."

"Yes!" Sasuke and Neji exchanged a glance and then nodded in agreement to the task.

"And I..." Uchiha Touko glanced around at everyone, "I will be able to provide support to you at any time with the help of the Flying Thunder God Team."

"Remember, when facing the enemy, fight boldly and confidently. I will always be behind you!" Uchiha Touko said.

"Yes, sir!" Everyone in the command post nodded vigorously in unison, and then saluted at the same time.

"loyalty!"

Chapter 285: The Curtain Rises

As the Konoha ninja army marched towards the border, a somber atmosphere began to pervade the entire ninja world.

After receiving the message from Konoha, Temari of Sunagakure immediately began mobilizing the village's ninjas to head to the northwest and put pressure on the Land of Earth.

However, at that very moment, two uninvited guests arrived at Fengying's office.

"Temari, do you intend to have our village side with Konoha in this war?" Chiyo asked immediately upon entering the Kazekage's office.

Upon hearing Chiyo's question, Temari frowned almost imperceptibly before speaking, "Konoha and Sunagakure are allies who have signed an agreement. In this war, do we have any other option but to stand with them?"

"Of course there is. In the current situation, Konoha is being besieged by the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning, which is a good opportunity for us to launch a surprise attack from the rear," Ebizo said.

"A sneak attack?" Temari immediately stood up from her office chair, her eyes fixed intently on Ebizo. "Elder, did I hear that right? You're actually asking Sunagakure to do something like betraying our allies?"

"Temari, Konoha is hardly an ally of ours. Countless of our comrades have died at the hands of their ninjas! Now is the perfect opportunity to avenge them!" Ebizo said in a deep voice.

"Revenge? Whose revenge?" Temari looked at Chiyo and sneered, "I think it's the two elders who want to avenge your son who died at the hands of Konoha, even at the cost of dragging the village into an abyss of no return."

"Temari! What do you mean by this?" Chiyo's expression changed drastically upon hearing this. Although she and Ebizo did indeed think this way about the matter, these were things that couldn't be discussed openly.

Temari leaned forward, propping herself up on the table, and glared at the two elders. "Have you two elders ever considered the consequences if we betray Konoha? The village's finances over the past two years have relied on Konoha's low-level outsourced missions and financial aid to get out of trouble. Once Konoha cuts off the aid, our village will be back to square one in an instant!"

"As long as we can successfully take a piece of flesh from Konoha, then none of this will be a problem!" Ebizo insisted.

"Take a piece of flesh from Konoha?" Temari almost laughed in anger when she heard Ebizo's words. "Elder Ebizo, are you joking? Konoha proved during the Third Shinobi World War that they were capable of fighting on three fronts. Moreover, Konoha is now strong and well-equipped, and its strength is far greater than it was back then. Even if we betray them, it will only make their war situation a little more tense. With our abilities, it is nothing short of a pipe dream to think that we can seriously damage them."

"It's easy to betray them, but after the war ends, do we Sunagakure have the ability to face Konoha's reckoning?" Temari said. "I think the two elders have been living comfortably in the village for too long and have become unaware of the changes in the ninja world."

"Temari, you're boosting others' morale while diminishing your own!" Chiyo said.

"That's still better than letting the whole village be destroyed!" Temari slammed her hand on the table, refusing to back down an inch.

"Temari! You'll regret this!" Chiyo said through gritted teeth, looking at Temari who was now completely out of their control.

"When you're working, you should use your job title! I'm the Fifth Kazekage now!" Temari retorted angrily.

The two elders turned around angrily, intending to slam the door and leave, but before they could even make a move, Maki led several members of the secret service to block the doorway.

Seeing this, Ebizo suddenly turned around, looked at Temari who had already sat back down in her office chair, and asked through gritted teeth, "Temari..."

Before he could finish speaking, he saw the group of ANBU members at the door staring at him with unfriendly expressions, so he could only change his words: "Fifth Boss, what do you mean by this?"

"It doesn't mean anything special," Temari said coldly. "Since the village has decided to participate in this war, and the ninjas have been transferred to the border, the village's defenses will inevitably be weakened. At this time, if the enemy attacks the village, it is very likely that the two elders will be in danger. As the Kazekage, I naturally do not want to see this happen. Therefore, the village has decided to protect the two elders. I hope that the two elders can cooperate."

Temari's words carried a clear threat: if the two old men were willing to cooperate and be placed under house arrest, Temari wouldn't mind giving them some dignity; but if the old men didn't want that dignity...

Therefore, it is not a possibility, but a certainty, that the two old Dengs are in danger.

Chiyo stared at Maki and the Anbu members, their hands already on their ninja tool pouches, her old face twitching uncontrollably. If she wanted to, with her current strength and Ebizo's, even Temari and these guys couldn't stop them. But what if she forced her way through? Was she really going to become a rogue ninja at her age?

Chiyo looked deeply at Temari, who sat expressionlessly in front of the Kazekage's desk, her heart filled with mixed emotions. Temari's talent in political struggle was something she had never imagined before.

After Temari imprisoned Ishiichi Seigaku, she easily became the Fifth Kazekage. Originally, Chiyo and Ebizo thought that Temari was still young and they could still control her. However, after Temari took power, she quickly demonstrated extraordinary talent in power struggles. She ordered the establishment of the Puppet Forbidden Technique Investigation Group, which kept things very close and forced the two to give up a lot of power. Temari also kept a good balance and maintained a state of struggle without breaking apart.

However, it wasn't until today that Chiyo and Ebizo suddenly realized that they could no longer mobilize any ninjas in the village, and Temari's talent in this area even surpassed that of her father.

[Could this be the true bloodline limit of Rasa's lineage?] Chiyo couldn't help but wonder before leaving with Maki.

Unfortunately, what Chiyo didn't know was that Temari's ability to evolve from a complete novice to her current state in such a short time was naturally due to the guidance of a master.

With the help of Uchiha Touko, Temari seized power in a coup and became the Fifth Kazekage. She never lost contact with Uchiha Touko and would humbly seek his advice from time to time.

Uchiha Tokō, with a casual attitude, generously offered his guidance to Temari.

Even Sasuke and Neji were unaware that they had a junior sister in the Land of Wind who had become the Kazekage.

However, it must be said that with the ability to practice at any time and a little bit of talent, Temari has made very rapid progress in this area. However, it is precisely because of this that Temari is more aware of the terror of Uchiha Touko than others. This fear does not come from the level of strength, but from the fear of Uchiha Touko's manipulative methods. She can't even imagine what would happen if she stood on the opposite side of Uchiha Touko.

Therefore, upon receiving the signal from Konoha, Temari did not hesitate for long before choosing to follow in Uchiha Touko's footsteps.

After all, in Temari's opinion, Onoki and Ega together were not enough to deal with Uchiha Touko alone. By getting on Konoha's warship early, while Konoha was feasting, Sunagakure could at least get a share of the spoils.

……

In a village within the Land of Waterfalls, after Naruto used his Rasengan to plow a network of ditches leading to a stream at the village entrance into the villagers' fields, he smiled and scratched his head at the grateful looks of those around him.

“Elder, war is coming soon. Be careful. The ninjas of Konoha shouldn’t target civilians, but you should still be wary of Iwagakure and your own ninja villages in Takigakure. They might find a reason to harm you,” Naruto warned after returning to the village.

"Is war...coming again?" Upon hearing this, the village chief let out a long sigh.

Two years ago, their Land of Waterfall was ravaged by war. At that time, they were lucky and were not greatly affected by the war. But now Naruto tells them that war is coming.

“Don’t worry too much, old man,” Naruto said with a smile. “Just live your lives normally here. As long as you don’t go out and provoke the ninjas, those with ill intentions will definitely not have an easy time if they want to attack you.”

"Really? Naruto?" the village chief asked with some doubt, but seeing Naruto's eyes, he couldn't help but choose to believe him.

"Hmm." Naruto nodded. "Is there anyone in the village who hasn't exchanged blows with me yet?"

"Everyone in our village has bumped fists with you, Naruto. Does that mean that will protect our village from the ravages of war?"

“Yes.” Naruto nodded.

"By the way, Naruto-nii, are you leaving already?" A little boy asked the village chief.

"Yes, the war has begun, and my homeland needs my strength." Naruto patted the little boy's head and said with a smile.

That night, Naruto and his two companions left the village.

"Gaara, what do you say? Are we going back to Sunagakure?" Naruto asked as he headed south.

"Uh... what's the situation in Sunagakure now?" Gaara asked.

"As for Sunagakure, they have already joined the battle and are deploying defenses in the direction of the Land of Demons, preparing to attack Iwagakure together with Konoha," said Jiraiya, who has maintained contact with the village.

"So, our two villages are now allies?" Gaara asked.

“That’s right,” Naruto said. “If you’re worried about your village, we’ll take you to the battlefield in Sunagakure first.”

"Forget it. If Shukaku isn't willing to lend me its power, my current strength will be very limited even on the battlefield," Gaara said.

“Alright then, you’ll still be coming with me. Those people last time might have been targeting us Jinchuriki. I’m not too comfortable letting you go to the battlefield alone,” Naruto said.

Jiraiya, upon hearing Gaara say that he was weak, hesitated to speak.

Are kids these days so demanding of themselves? You know, even excluding Shukaku, Gaara's sand manipulation ninjutsu is at least at the level of an elite Jonin in Konoha, just a hair's breadth away from becoming a Kage. Yet Gaara still thinks he's weak.

However, after glancing at Naruto beside Gaara, Jiraiya could only shake his head helplessly. Compared to Naruto, Gaara was indeed somewhat weak at the moment.

But these two are only 15 years old this year, right? What was I doing when I was 15? I think I was getting punched by Tsunade three times a day!

"Naruto, what are you planning to do? Are you going to go back to the village first and then move with the main force of the village, or what?" Jiraiya shook his head, banishing these chaotic thoughts from his mind, before speaking.

"Grandpa Jiraiya, since Gaara is with us, we won't go back for now," Naruto said. "Not many people in the village know about my situation. If I go there with the reputation of a rogue ninja, it will probably have a negative impact on the main battlefield. So, let's go directly to the enemy's rear."

"The rear?" Jiraiya asked curiously upon hearing this. "You plan to cut off the supply lines?"

“If we were to cut off their supply lines, I reckon the teacher would send Sasuke and Neji to do it. If we went, it would easily lead to conflict between the two sides,” Naruto said. “So, I plan to raid their Daimyo’s palace directly!”

As soon as Naruto finished speaking, Jiraiya was so frightened that he couldn't speak. Go and attack the Daimyo? Is this something a ninja should say?